At least the “Obamakis and Bidenopoulos” crowd won’t have to create a phony Greek name for Alexi. The Chicago Sun-Times in “Obama’s Basketball Pal for Governor?”:
Giannoulias’ close association to Obama, even if Obama does not formally endorse him, could be a big advantage to Giannoulias in a crowded primary, especially if no major African-American candidate jumps into the mix.
[…]
Giannoulias, 32, was born in Chicago to Greek parents, played professional basketball in Greece and got to know Obama shooting hoops on the University of Chicago campus when Giannoulias was a student and Obama a senior lecturer. He was a vice president in his family’s Broadway Bank before being elected Treasurer.
[…]
Giannoulias faced heat last year when he had to testify about a $1 million loan he made to an 86-year-old woman described by her family as “feeble-minded.” The woman initially applied for the loan with co-borrowers who had a history of fraud allegations against them. After Giannoulias raised concerns, they were taken off as co-borrowers and he approved the loan. A judge ruled Giannoulias handled the loan properly.
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